BYBSCD
by Groudon199
Summary: [sequel to "Forgettable"] A new amusement park has opened up, and Rarity got us VIP passes. No waiting in line for rides! With a Rainbooms concert at the end of the day, this is gonna be a day to remember! [mild language, MLPEG special "Rollercoaster of Friendship" spoilers]
1. Thrills

**A/N: Better late than never, I guess. Told from Flare's POV and later Olivia's, this covers the 1-hour special that aired in the United States and was uploaded to YouTube in 5 parts.**

**Full character bios are on my profile, but here is a brief summary. Olivia Frost is light grey with shoulder-length brown hair, and she wears a below-the-knee prosthetic right leg (which is normally covered up). Cloudflare, who goes by his nickname, is light orange with short green-blue hair.**

* * *

We get off of the spinning teacups ride.

"Trixie looks like she had fun," Olivia says.

I look toward the exit. Trixie is skipping through the exit. She immediately gets right back in line with a big grin on her face.

"I guess this is her favorite ride," I say. We walk to the exit.

"Well, it's _kinda_ fun. I remember the Tilt-A-Hurl being _way_ more thrilling."

"Maybe she likes that you can control the spin speed." Or she's not a fan of the 'Hurl' part.

Rarity and Applejack applied for summer jobs at Equestria Land – the new theme park – to work at the caramel apple stand. Rarity ended up getting a job as the lead costume designer for their parade, while AJ didn't get _any_ job. I don't understand how. She probably knows the most about apples out of anybody in town. She quit her old job at the mall's smoothie shop because she was so confident, and they already hired a replacement. I'm gonna guess Bulk Biceps didn't receive any proper training.

On the plus side, Rarity got all of us VIP passes to the park. We can go right to the front of the line for every ride.

As soon as we got in the park, we met the person overseeing everything there: Vignette Valencia, one of SnapGab's most-followed users. Personally, I never understood the appeal in having high follower counts. It's basically a way to tell the world, "Look! I'm popular!" The pics she posts aren't even all that special, for the most part. I guess her "Be yourself, but better" motto is really appealing to some. She liked what she saw about the Rainbooms on SnapGab and offered us the chance to perform during the parade. She also gave a like to everyone in the band, so I guess that'll make them more popular.

As for rides, I was concerned Olivia's condition would limit a lot of what she could ride, but it's not as bad as I feared. With the exception of, like... four rides, I think? ...she can ride any ride in the park. She could probably ride the 400-foot-drop coaster, but she needs documentation from the people who made her prosthesis that it can handle the G-forces and not come loose. She didn't look up what she could and couldn't ride until right before we came here, and that wasn't enough time to acquire the papers, so that's off the table. I don't understand why she waited until literally the last minute. At least she's wearing her contacts for the stuff she _can_ ride.

Speaking of not understanding...

* * *

_"Okay," AJ says, "somebody tell me why this picture has 20,000 likes!"_

_On Applejack's phone is a short video. In it, Vignette has a part of her hair covering her left eye, with her other eye half-closed, and she's lying on a bed. "Hashtag..." She brushes that part of her hair with her hand. "...bangs." She puts the tip of her index finger between her teeth._

_Uh... "Seriously? You can't see how thousands of people would smash the Like button on __**this?**__"_

_"No, I don't!"_

_"Can __**you?"**__ Olivia asks me._

_Really? "Are you serious? Do you remember that one selfie you sent me?" I lean toward her ear and whisper, "Lying on the couch, showing your midriff, similar expression as in that video? Minus the finger bite."_

_"Oh, I remember that. Normally I wouldn't pose like that, but I knew you'd like it, so I –" She stops herself and her eyes go wide. "Ohhh... __**Now**__ I get it! People are liking more than just her bangs."_

_"What more is there to like?" AJ asks._

_Olivia sighs. "Nothing. Don't worry about it."_

* * *

I mean, come on! You'd have to be, like, in early middle school to not get that! Or as naïve as Fluttershy.

"So what next?" Olivia asks.

"Hmm..." I get out the park map. There's a rollercoaster much shorter than the big one nearby. "How about this?" I point to it on the map.

She looks at the map. "Sure. It's been 6 years since I've ridden one of those. Hopefully it's as fun as I remember!" she says with a big grin.

We hold hands and set off in the coaster's direction.

"What time did Rarity say we have to be at the stage, again?" Olivia asks.

"I think that was for the others. You're not in the band, and I'm Pinkie's understudy. Unless she _devours_ the cotton candy stand and gets a stomachache, I doubt they'll need me."

"Yeah, but they'd like us to be there to support them."

"We can support them by watching their performance in the parade." And I _know_ I'd just get in the way. Not necessarily of _them_, but of the staff.

She sighs. "If you insist..."

I mean, I probably _would_ get in the girls' way...

* * *

We get into the third car. I take off my geode and put it in my left pocket. I should probably keep it in there for the whole day. In the unlikely event I _do_ need it, I can take it out. I fasten my seatbelt and pull my lap bar down as the pre-recorded safety message is played over the PA system.

"Ready?" I say when it's finished.

"Honestly," Olivia says, "I'm a bit nervous. But also excited."

Two attendants check our lap bars, then move to the next car.

"I can hold your hand if it'll help calm you down."

"Nah, I'm fine. It's just been a while since I've done this."

"All clear?" the PA attendant says. The two who checked our lap bars are giving a thumbs-up. "Dispatch."

The car train leaves the station and begins climbing the first hill. It's been a couple years since _I've_ ridden one of these as well. Until today, there hasn't been an amusement park nearby. The last time I visited one, I was with my mom, aunt, uncle, and cousin on vacation to Las Pegasus for my 15th birthday. I hope I haven't outgrown this, although I don't think you can outgrow something this thrilling. While I'm afraid of heights, park rides aren't all that scary. It's actually a fear of falling, and it'll take more than being dropped out of an airship once to overcome _that._

Once it gets over the hill and starts its descent, Olivia and several other riders start screaming. I didn't take her as a screamer. There's nothing too crazy; just some banked corners and moderate-height hills. It's exciting, but Liv's screams are a bit distracting, especially when she _doesn't stop!_

The ride comes to an end, slowing to a near crawl just before the station. Only now does she calm down. I look at her. Her eyes are squeezed shut. "Liv..." I put my right hand over her left hand. "You can open your eyes now. The ride's over."

She slowly opens her left eye, looks around, then closes it again. "Not until we're in the station!" she says, panicked. That's not excitement. I think she was screaming in terror. But she was so eager to get on. She told me she loved riding these before her accident. Maybe you _can_ outgrow something this thrilling.

The train enters the station. While the post-ride message plays, the lap bars unlock. Olivia shoves hers off, quickly unbuckles her seat belt, leaves the car, and goes right for the exit ramp.

"Liv, wait up!" I get out of the car and follow her.

At the bottom, I see her sitting on a bench to the right. She's resting her forehead on her hands. I walk over and join her.

"Hey, Liv. You okay?" I place my right hand on her left shoulder.

She takes a deep breath. "I have _never_ been terrified of rollercoasters before. But once I got to the top of that hill and saw how high up we were... I was genuinely afraid the lap bar was gonna fail on one of the hills."

"I'm _really_ sorry. If I knew you were scared, I wouldn't have asked you to ride with me."

"No, it wasn't your fault. I didn't even _know_ I was afraid of heights."

"Hey, guys!" Rainbow walks up to us with Fluttershy behind her. She looks at Olivia. "Are, uh... Are you okay?"

"Huh? Wh-who, me?" Olivia stammers. She stands up. "Never better!" she says with what I'm sure is a fake smile.

"Are you sure?" Fluttershy asks. "It looked like you were upset."

"Nah, I'm just a little shaken up. It's, uh... It's been a while since I've ridden a rollercoaster. Not used to the, um... excitement."

"Well... Okay." Rainbow doesn't sound convinced. "Anyway, Fluttershy and I about to ride the big coaster. You guys wanna tag along?"

"No way!" Olivia yells. "I... I mean..."

Rainbow looks surprised and confused by the outburst, and Fluttershy hides behind her.

I stand up. "What she means," I interject, "is she can't ride it. She needs documentation to show her fake leg can stay in place at those speeds and G-forces, but she didn't find this out until a minute before she left her house. Not enough time to get the paperwork." Although with her sudden fear of heights, she wouldn't want to ride it anyway.

"Yeah... What he said," Olivia says, trying to calm down. "Go ahead, Flarey. I'm gonna ride the bumper cars."

"Alright. If we get done first, I'll meet you there." We kiss. She gets out her map and I join Rainbow and Fluttershy. "Let's go." The three of us start walking to the coaster.

"What's the deal with her?" Rainbow asks.

"What do you mean?"

"Olivia didn't sound like she was having fun."

I assume Olivia wants me to keep it between the two of us. "It's nothing."

Rainbow groans. "It's _always_ nothing! Why is she so secretive?! Doesn't she trust us?"

"It's not that she doesn't trust you girls. It's _really_ hard for her to be open with others."

"When did she open up to _you?_" Fluttershy asks.

"About... a month after we started hanging out."

"So what's wrong with _us?_" Rainbow asks. "We've been her friends for a _few_ months!"

"Nothing's _wrong!_ After Sunset ruined her school life, she kept to herself. She never told anybody _anything_ because she didn't want to give them more reasons to torment her." I sigh. "I hoped being friends with all of you would get her to open up a little more. I mean, she _is_ a lot happier, but I guess old habits are hard to break."

"It's not a big deal. We like being her friends. It's just she knows almost _everything_ about _us,_ and we'd like to know a _little_ more about her."

"I'll see what I can do."

* * *

The train starts being pulled up the first hill. Rainbow and Fluttershy are in the front seat, and I'm in the seat behind them. I don't know how Rainbow convinced Fluttershy to ride this, but whatever she said, it must've worked.

...

...

Okay, this has been going for _how_ long? Like, a minute and a half? The coaster in Las Pegasus goes up 300 feet and the chain pulls the cars faster as they ascend. Only takes about 30 seconds. This one's a hundred feet taller, but the cars are pulled the same slow speed the entire way. I understand building the anticipation, but this is a bit excessive. It's kinda ruining the experience.

Rainbow starts saying something to Fluttershy. I lean forward. "You're facing your fears head-on! Just like.." I kinda figured Fluttershy was afraid of rollercoasters. Rainbow looks off the side of the car. "I mean, look! A 400-foot vertical drop right into these loop-the-loops and a corkscrew?" Again, I'd love to know how she got Fluttershy to agree to this. This is _not_ something a person with coasterphobia or whatever would be caught dead riding, let alone in the front! If Olivia got on this, she'd probably run out of the park screaming afterward. "You're probably thinking, 'Stop the ride! I wanna get off!' That's what you want, right?" _I_ want you to stop freaking her out even more. As the train reaches the top of the hill, I lean back in my seat. "Right now? You're about to yell it? Stop the ride! Please, somebody! _Stop the ride! __**Stop the ride!"**_ Wait, _Rainbow_ is afraid? Oh, this is too good!

After a thrill ride that was almost as long as the initial climb, the train pulls into the station and the lap bars release. I get out, and Fluttershy does the same. Rainbow carefully stands up, and one of the attendants helps her out. She breathes a sigh of relief, and as we head for the exit, I notice she's walking kinda funny.

"That was _actually_ kind of... fun!" Fluttershy says.

Aside from the long climb.

_"Tooootally!"_ Rainbow says with a thumbs-up. "That's why _I_ didn't want to get off. I was just saying what _you_ would've said. That's all." Uh-huh...

Fluttershy puts a hand on her shoulder. "You were _very_ brave."

"Heh... You too, by the way." She starts walking gingerly again, then falls over. I bet Olivia's gonna love to hear this. Maybe she'll feel comfortable opening up to Rainbow.

Fluttershy's phone goes off. She gets it out and looks at it. "Hmm..."

"What is it?" I ask.

"Vignette Valencia wants to talk with me about something."

"Alright, then. Guess I'll meet up with Olivia." I look at Rainbow. "Need a hand?" I hold out my hand. She sits up, looks at me, and grabs it. I pull her to her feet. "You gonna be okay?"

"Yeah... Just fine. Can you... help me to that bench?" She points at a nearby bench.

"Sure." I put her left arm behind my neck for support and we slowly walk over to it.

"Thanks," she says as she sits down. "I just need to rest my legs a minute."

"Are you sure you're alright?"

She takes a couple deep breaths. "I'm... I told you, I'm fine. Go hang out with your girlfriend."

"Okay, then. See you at the show tonight." I assume she wants to keep this between us. Being afraid of coasters after hyping one up doesn't sound very awesome, and she's all about appearing as awesome as possible. I can at least keep it between the two of us and Olivia. Liv probably won't believe me, anyway.

I start walking to the bumper cars. I spot Olivia walking this way when I reach the coaster we rode earlier.

"Hey, Flarey." She runs over to me and hugs me. "How was the ride?"

"The initial climb was a little long, but otherwise a _lot_ of fun. How were the bumper cars?"

"A lot of bumping. A lot of _head-on_ bumping." She closes her eyes and puts a hand on the side of her head.

Ouch. "Sounds like a real headache."

"Tell me about it..."

Why would the park allow head-on collisions? I've been on the receiving end of those, and they are _not_ pleasant.

"So what did Fluttershy think of the mega coaster?" She looks at the coaster we're next to. "If _I_ was freaking out on _this_, I can only imagine how _she_ reacted."

"Actually, she liked it, too."

With a look of surprise, she says, _"Fluttershy_ liked it? _Our_ Fluttershy?"

"Uh-huh. And Rainbow ended up being the scared one."

She now looks confused. "What? You're pulling my leg."

"Nope. Completely serious."

"Rainbow Dash... _The_ Rainbow Dash? The Rainbow Dash who was _so_ eager to ride one of the tallest rollercoasters in the world?"

That's how I expected her to react. "I mean, _you_ went from loving rollercoasters 6 years ago to being terrified of them today."

She sighs. "I can tell you're not BSing me. It's just... _Fluttershy_ liking it and _Rainbow_ being afraid... I'm having trouble picturing that."

"One of those 'see it to believe it' images."

"Then again, I also had trouble picturing you wanting to date Sunset. Even without magic, this has been one bizarre school year."

Forget _dating_ Sunset. Just becoming her friend was bizarre enough! If I went back in time to November and told myself he'd be Sunset's friend by the end of the school year, he'd think I'm one of the other students playing a sick joke on him.

* * *

Olivia and I are in the park's arcade. It was actually _her_ who suggested we come here. Sometimes I feel she knows me better than I know myself. I thought about looking around and seeing what all there is to do here, but when my eyes spotted Rock Hero Arcade, I _knew_ I had to try it out. I'd say I've been rocking out at this machine for the past hour. The lag is a bit annoying, but I got used to it quickly.

"Howdy, you two."

Sounds like Applejack found us. "Hey, AJ," I say without looking away from the screen. "Gimme a few seconds. The song's almost over."

I play the last few measures, then wait for the results screen. 98% notes hit. With the lag, that's not too bad.

I set the controller down, then turn and look at AJ. "Sorry about that. So what's up?"

"How are things going with Rarity?" Olivia asks.

"She's freaking out over the costumes."

"Figures as much."

"Have either of you seen Fluttershy? She went off with Vignette and nobody's seen her since. Her phone goes right to voicemail. I'm worried somethin' mighta happened to her."

Fluttershy's phone is going straight to voicemail? That sounds familiar... Yeah, back with Juniper Montage. Everybody's phones went to voicemail because they were trapped in her mirror. Could there be another magic object somewhere in this park?

Nah, that's absurd. Just because every big event we've gone to this school year has had some magic shenanigans break out doesn't mean _this_ one will be the same. Most likely her phone's battery ran out. I'm just being paranoid.

Paranoia... It wouldn't be the _only_ time this year.

"Flare?"

"Huh?" Applejack snaps me out of my thoughts.

"Everythin' alright? You're spacin' out."

"It's, uh... It's nothing. I rode the mega coaster with Fluttershy and Rainbow earlier. Haven't seen either of them since, not that I've been looking. I'll keep an eye open."

She sighs. "Well, thanks..." She walks away.

"I'm pretty sure she's fine," I yell to her.

"You're worried too, aren't you?" Olivia asks me.

"A little. It's probably just a dead phone battery, though. Nothing to be _too_ concerned about." I reach for the controller.

"Uh, before you start another marathon session," she interrupts, "maybe you'd want to try a _different_ game? I know you like this one, but you have Rock Hero at home. _And_ it doesn't cost $1 per song play."

Well, _that's_ a buzzkill. "Just one more?"

She crosses her arms and glares at me. "Do you want to walk around the park with _me_ or by _yourself?"_

If she puts it _that_ way, I don't really have a choice.


	2. Missing

We leave the arcade. I gotta say, there _were_ some fun games that weren't the same thing I have at my house. I also manged to _not_ spend all the money I brought today, which would've happened if I kept at the Rock Hero game.

I get the map out. "What next?" I ask.

"Well, next, I need to use the restroom," Olivia says.

"Too much soda?" I ask jokingly.

"Hey, large drinks don't take long to go through you."

"I know. Go ahead. I'll wait out here."

She walks toward the women's room around the side of the arcade building. I look around and find a bench.

"Yoo-hoo! Cloudflare!" Who was that?

I look in that direction. Vignette is walking over to me. "Oh. Hi, Vignette."

_"Just_ the person I wanted to see! Can I talk to you in private for a moment?"

Why would she be looking for _me?_ "Uh... Well, I'm waiting for my girlfriend to finish using the restroom."

"Don't worry about her. It'll only be a couple minutes." She grabs my wrist and leads me away from the arcade.

I hope this _does_ only take a couple minutes.

She lets go of my wrist. "The Rainbooms mention you on their SnapGab page, yet you're only in a handful of pics. What's your role in the band?"

"Yeah, I don't actually do much. Officially, I'm their backup drummer. If Pinkie can't perform for whatever reason, I fill in for her. Or if the songwriter wants me to do the drum part." Which so far has only happened for one of Sunset's songs... "I also help with setting things up. Guess I'm a roadie as well."

She stops. "Oh, no no no no _no!_ That will _not_ do!"

I look at her. "Uh... what?"

"I must _insist_ you stick to a backstage role!"

Okay... With a confused expression, I respond, "And... what makes _you_ an expert on band lineups?"

"Work with me, road flare. The pics you're in have 40% fewer likes on average. When people go to see the Rainbooms, they don't want to see... well, _you."_

Road flare? I glare at her.

She squints at me and looks me over. "On second thought... Yes... Black wig, a little makeup, some cotton balls, earrings... Can't do much about the waist, but we'll figure something out. Maybe a _lot_ of cotton balls..."

Um... "What are you talking about?"

"Instead of Cloudflare, the only _boy_ in the band, you will become Misty Flash, the girl _nobody_ can take their eyes off!"

She's suggesting... "Uh... I'll pass. Unless you pay me $650 to make the change," I say sarcastically.

She glares back.

"I'm _not_ dressing like a girl to give the Rainbooms a few extra likes."

"B.Y.B.B.," she says with a smile, tapping my left shoulder, right shoulder, chest, and forehead respectively on each letter.

I grab her wrist and move it away from me. "That's not being myself. That's B.Y.B.S.C.D.: Be yourself, but somebody completely different. That's not only being somebody I'm not, it's being a _gender_ I'm not! I mean, nothing against guys who dress like that, but it's not me. Cloudflare is no girl!"

Still smiling, she gets out her phone. "You're right. _Cloudflare_ is no girl." She chuckles, then holds it up. "Say 'fresh'!"

What is she –

_*click*_

* * *

– doing? And isn't it _"stay"_... fresh...?

Huh? Suddenly, I'm somewhere else. I look around. Fluttershy and Rainbow are here, and we're in an empty white room.

...

Really? "Let me guess. Vignette's phone is infused with Equestrian magic, and when she took my picture, it zapped me into the phone."

"Hit the nail on the head," Rainbow says.

I sigh. "Looks like I was right." Is this _all_ rogue magic is gonna do? Corrupt people by enchanting everyday objects? First Juniper, then Olivia, and now Vignette... I lie down. "Guess now we have to wait for somebody to get ahold of her phone and undo what she did." Maybe Starlight will want to visit this world like she did in our fake memories and end up saving us again.

Now that I think about it, perhaps Equestrian magic is the reason people have been spontaneously breaking into song. It didn't start until sometime after Sunset stole Twilight's crown, and Sci-Twi said Principal Celestia's plants started singing. She didn't say they were infected by magic, but what _other_ way can that happen? It would explain all the singing during my Friendship Festival adventure.

Wait a second... "This place is surprisingly empty."

"What do you mean?" Fluttershy asks.

"Well, I would've imagined the inside of Vignette's phone to have all sorts of pics, videos, and SnapGab posts."

"Maybe this is all the space her phone isn't using," Rainbow says.

"That's not how free space works. When something's deleted, it's still on the phone. You just lose access to it, and it gets overwritten when needed. Unless it's a brand-new phone and she keeps _every_ photo, video, and app she takes or downloads, the free space isn't _actually_ empty."

"How do you _know_ all that?"

"Sunset told me that when we were dating." It's kinda cool that someone from a world miles behind this one in technology knows something like that.

* * *

*****Olivia's POV*****

I open the restroom door and step outside. I never liked using the air dryer. It's not as effective as using paper towels, but this restroom was out of them.

I look around. That's odd... I don't see Flare anywhere. He said he'd wait for me. I get out my phone and text him.

"Where'd you disappear to?"

I guess while I wait for a response, I can see what all is in the area. I start up Pokémon Go. I promised Flare I'd stay off of this for the day, and I even kept it closed while walking to the bumper cars, but since he's nowhere to be found, one little peek won't hurt. I still don't have anything decent to take on or train at gyms, especially with half the occupants being the same high-powered Pokémon. I _hate_ gyms. They're pretty much designed for people who have been playing from the beginning, and I only picked it up a few months ago. Realistically, all I can do is throw something in an open spot and hope it stays there for a couple hours.

The map loads. A bunch of Stops and 3 gyms, one of which is at the rollercoaster I can't ride. Two are blue with no openings, and the coaster one is yellow. I'm surprised it's already so populated. Did some of the employees submit Stops? As I expected, all 8 slots are well above _anything_ I have. I check the nearby Pokémon list. Nothing worth going after. So much for all that. I close the app.

I sigh. "Why hasn't he gotten back to me yet?" I call his phone.

_"Hey there, it's Flare. Leave a –"_

Straight to voicemail? I hang up. He _never_ turns off his phone. "Maybe he went off with someone else?" But why would he run off after saying he'd wait? I call Rainbow. Maybe she saw him get on that coaster again. He and Fluttershy _really_ liked it. I still can't believe it. _Fluttershy,_ of all people!

_"You've reached Rainbow Dash! Sorry I can't pick up. I'm probably doing something __**awesome**__ right –"_

Rainbow, too? I hang up, then call Sunset. Surely _she_ has her phone on!

She picks up after a few rings. "Hi, Olivia."

That's a good start. "Hey, Sunset. Say, have you seen Flare lately?"

"No, I haven't. I thought he was with _you."_

"He _was_, but he's disappeared, and I can't get in touch with him."

"Well, Twilight, Pinkie, and I will be on the lookout."

"Thanks."

There's silence for a moment.

"Uh... I gotta go," she says.

"Wait!"

...

"Sunset?" She hung up. I guess something happened?

Great... _Now_ what do I do?

* * *

The chain swing ride comes to a stop and I get off. I'm surprised this wasn't on the "do not ride wearing a prosthesis" list.

It's almost sundown, and Flare is still MIA. I'm very worried now. He disappeared hours ago, and I've neither heard from him nor seen him around. He can go wherever he wants, but to leave me hanging after promising to spend the entire day with me? Something _has_ to have happened to him! Come to think of it, I haven't seen _any_ of my friends lately.

After several minutes of wandering around, I spot Applejack and Rarity. They're hugging.

I walk over to them. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

Rarity gasps and pushes Applejack away. "Our friends! Vignette has them all trapped in the Internet! She confessed! We have to get them out. We have to save them!" Um... What?

"What?!" Applejack says. "We've been wasting all this time chin-waggin' about feelings?! We need to get crackin' on a rescue plan!"

In the... "I'm sorry, could you run that by me again?" I question.

Before either girl can answer, Applejack's phone rings. She answers it. "Twilight?!"

Well, somehow Twilight contacted Applejack from... inside the Internet? I wonder if it's like that one episode of... of... Gah, what was that show called? The one with the fairy godparents... 'Gah' was the kid's name, right? There was an episode where they went into the Internet.

"Uh... Magic. Got it."

Yeah, they _did_ use magic. Although I don't think Vignette wished them into the Internet. Unless whatever she used works like Juniper's magic mirror.

Applejack walks away from Rarity and I, still listening to Twilight.

"...us out of here. How much coding do you know?" Applejack now has Twilight on speakerphone. I walk over to her.

"Uh... none. Uh, I can rub two sticks together."

"Ooh boy..." Am I hearing double? "Okay, get a pencil." I'm certainly hearing Twilight's voice twice.

"Uh, hang on. I think I can hear you talkin'."

"What?!"

It sounds like it's coming from behind a nearby door.

"Somewhere close." Applejack approaches it and opens it. Inside are... all our friends? In a white room? "Really, y'all?"

Flare is here too! "Flarey!" I run inside and pull him into a big hug. I am so, _so_ relieved to see him!

"Ohhhh... The phone just teleported us into some random white room in the park," Twilight says.

That's a _little_ strange...

"We were just sitting in a white room the whole _time?!"_ Sunset says.

"Oh, you guys didn't know that?" Pinkie says nonchalantly. How did...

"A bright, white room..." Flare says, "with _no_ visible light source, _no_ inside door handle, and no _anything!"_ He pushes me away. "What kind of park has a physics-defying room like _this?!"_

And... here he goes. "Flare, now's not the time to –"

"Y'know, I could _sorta_ understand a funhouse having something like this, but being behind a completely random door?! _And_ it can somehow block cell phone signals! What, is this building lined with aluminum foil?!"

"File a complaint later!" I interrupt. "Right now, we need to stop Vignette from doing whatever she's trying to do!"

"Can't we do both? After being stuck in this room for hours, the _least_ you could do is let me vent!"

"You can vent after you and the girls save the day!"

There's a flash of light next to Twilight. That nerdy boy I sometimes see around school appears in the room.

"Micro Chips?" Twilight gasps. "Did Vignette take your picture just now?"

"I was just minding my own business making perfect caramel apples when suddenly Vignette saw me and said I wasn't as cool a nerd as she thought." When you're dressed like _that_, who can blame her? "Then she took my picture, and I ended up here, violating all known laws of space and time."

Has he not paid attention to _anything_ that's happened this year? "The laws of the universe mean _nothing_ when magic is running amuck!"

"Wait..." Flare says. "They put _you_ in charge of the caramel apple stand instead of AJ?"

"Flare..." I put a hand on his chest. "Just stop. Okay? For me." I really hate that sometimes. Something doesn't make sense, he can't help but rant about it. He's gotten better at holding his tongue, but it still comes out from time to time.

"Guys," Sunset says, "this is bad! It means Vignette is on the parade route, and she's using her phone to change whatever she doesn't like!"

"What happens if she decides she doesn't like the crowd?" Fluttershy says with a gasp.

"Everyone in the park is watching that parade," Twilight says. "If her phone teleports that many people into this tiny room at the same time..."

Pinkie gasps. "Squish City!" Yeah... that's not good.

"Nah, they'll be fine!" Flare says in an irritated, sarcastic tone. "The room will just expand when there's no more space! Nothing about this room makes sense, so why –"

"Cloudflare!" OMG! I drag him away from the others, then grab the front of his shirt and angrily look at him. "I will let you vent your frustrations to me later! There's a time and place for everything, and this is _not_ it!" I stand on my tiptoes to get closer to his eye level. "Now shut your damn mouth and save the day, or I swear to Princess Celestia I will trap you in here myself!"

"Y-yes, ma'am!"

"Thank you!" I let go of his shirt and straighten it out.

He sighs. "I _do_ try to keep these things to myself. It's just _really_ hard sometimes, especially when I've been stuck here for hours. Even _Sunset_ was a little steamed."

"Yeah, but she didn't rant about it." Or Micro Chips being the caramel apple person, which I admit is an odd choice.

"Yo! Flare, Olivia!" Rainbow yells to us. "You guys comin' or what?"

"You have my word," Flare says, "I'll keep my mouth shut when I have the urge to rant."

"Only when you're in public," I say. I grab his hand. "Now let's go stop Vignette."

We join the others and set off for the parade route.


	3. Spills

We get to where the parade is being held. Vignette is singing, and it's pretty bad. Much worse than Flare pre-magic. The instrumentation is rather poor as well, and the crowd is voicing their displeasure.

"This crowd isn't cheering enough for –" It sounds like she threw the microphone somewhere.

Applejack lifts the front of the stage up to stop it and we run in front.

"Sorry to rain on your parade," Rarity says.

Applejack drops the stage. "Nice one!"

"But I'm afraid this evening is canceled! Now turn off your phone and hand it over!"

"Are you _honestly_ asking a social media star to hand over her phone?" Vignette says. Of course it's not that easy.

"Yeah!" Applejack says. "She _is_."

"Rarity, _this_ is the version of your friends that will be _popular!_ I have the metrics to back that up."

I look at the holograms. I see one of myself with a dark purple stripe of hair, a matching tank top, black eyeshadow, black fingerless gloves, and short black shorts. The socks only come up to the ankles, and the hologram has the entirety of both legs. Seeing a projection of myself with a proper right leg is a little unsettling. It reminds me of what could've been if that crash hadn't happened... A thought that haunted me nearly all of last school year...

"Is... Is that supposed to be _me?"_

Flare snaps me out of my thoughts. I look at each hologram, but I don't see Flare. "Where?"

"The one with the big... Uh... The one that doesn't look like the others."

I think I see the one he's talking about. "The black-haired one wearing the crop top?" I recognize the face, but everything... else... "Oh my..." The Flare hologram is wearing a crop top, alright. And, well... The crops are significantly bigger than everyone else's.

"I think I understand what Vignette meant by 'the girl nobody can take their eyes off'."

Why did she make you a girl? And why are they so big...?

"Doesn't matter if they're real!" Vignette continues. "It's what you show people online!" That reminds me of the one Park Town episode. Hey, have you seen my new girlfriend? Here's her pic. I know she doesn't look like this IRL, but isn't she _hot?_

"No!" Rarity yells. "It's a chance to _look_ like everything I've always wanted! What I _really_ want has been right in front of me the whole time! My friends."

Flare steps in front of Rarity.

"Uh... Flare? What, uh... What are you doing?"

I'm with Rarity. What the hell is he up to?

He reaches into his pocket and pulls something out, then takes a deep breath.

_Ahh~_

Oh, _now_ I see what he's doing. It's good to see he's not worried about riling people up anymore. He puts his geode necklace on.

The others step forward. Rarity grabs his right hand and Fluttershy grabs his left, with everyone else joining in. They all do their pony-up sequence. So much for stopping Vignette with siren power, I guess.

This is the first time I've seen these clothes in person. They're the same as when they destroyed Wallflower's memory stone, but I was locked in a room with Trixie during that.

"No amount of online success is worth it," Rarity says, "without my real life friends to share in it."

They all look at each other happily, except Flare. He's smiling at the others, but it's not the happy kind of smile. More of an 'I want everyone to _think_ I'm happy' smile.

A couple bolts of... Well, it's not electricity... I guess, magic? ...transfers from one geode to the next before reaching Rarity, which 'charges' her right arm. She throws her arm back and produces a white magic whip. She sends it through Vignette's phone, destroying the phone, and the holograms disappear.

"What have you done?!" Vignette yells. _"Now_ how can things ever be _perfect?!"_

The group returns to the ground. "I love nothing more than someone telling me I made a perfect outfit, but I'd say... you got a _bit_ carried away."

I look at Flare. He's looking at Rarity, expression changing between upset and mad. I've never seen him look _that_ conflicted.

* * *

The Rainbooms put on their performance. As seems to be customary by now, it's a song relevant to what we just went through. Flare and I are in the crowd at the front end of the stage. He still seems concerned about something, but when I asked, he didn't respond. Now I'm worried again. In the 2 years we've known each other, he's never given me the cold shoulder. He _at least_ says 'It's nothing', but he's been completely silent since he tried to use his power.

When their concert is finished, they go to the backstage area. Flare starts to walk around the stage, holding up his VIP pass. I follow him and do the same. We're stopped by a couple security officers, but they let us through when they see our passes. We climb onto the stage and follow them to the back.

Flare storms up to Rarity. "Why?" Uh...

Rarity turns around. "Oh, Flare! There you are!"

He's looking at her angrily. "Why did you stop me?"

"Um..." She nervously chuckles. "What... What do you mean?"

"Right before we ponied up. Just after I started singing?"

"Oh, that. W-Well..." she stammers.

"I know the first time I tried using my power, it didn't work, but I was hoping it would _this_ time, since... y'know... Vignette herself wasn't shielded by Equestrian magic!?" Is _that_ why he's been silent? He's been trying not to blow up around me?

"You see..."

"Not _every_ magic problem needs to be solved by shooting a giant laser beam or magic whip at the object in question!"

I can hear the anger in his voice. "Okay, Flare, calm down a little," I say.

"I was gonna get her to stop teleporting people. To hand over her phone! _I_ was gonna save the day for once!"

"Wait..." Rainbow says. _"That's_ why you're upset? You're jealous of us?"

Flare closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. "I just... I don't know why I'm here." He opens them. "Every time I get involved in something, it feels like I'm just along for the ride. Like, what did I bring to the Friendship Games that _anybody_ could bring to the table? I got in the way at Camp Everfree, and Rainbow was annoyed I got involved."

"Well, that's because –"

"Not to mention the Equestria stuff. I followed the Element bearers to the ends of the planet, only to get captured and left in a cage while they had an epic battle against the Storm King. If I wasn't with you girls – or _those_ girls – nothing would've changed. That's why I wanted to actually _do_ something this time. I'd at least _feel_ like I was important!"

Wow... I had no idea. "Flare..."

"Be honest. Am I a burden to all of you?"

"What?" Sunset says. "Of _course_ you're not a burden to us!"

"But I haven't _done_ anything! Whenever something magic happens, I'm just... there."

"So what?" Rainbow says. "We didn't become your friend expecting you to help us out all the time!"

"But I have a geode! Clearly that means I _should!"_

"Not necessarily," Twilight says. "Fluttershy didn't use _her_ geode the last couple times we ponied up, for instance."

"I was _about_ to use mine until _somebody_ interfered!" He glares at Rarity.

"Well, I-I – That is –" she nervously stammers. "I-I thought you were distracting her for us!"

"You thought I was..." His expression turns somber and he looks down. "I was right. I _am_ useless to you."

"N-N-No! That's not what I meant!"

He removes his geode and drops it on the ground. "See you girls at school, I guess. Only place I'm _not_ a waste of space..." He starts walking away.

"Flare, wait..." I sigh. "Why doesn't he _tell_ me these things?" I mutter. I mean, I tell _him_ when _I'm_ worried about something! I pick up and pocket his geode, then follow him.

* * *

After weaving through the crowd, I catch up to him. "What happened back there?"

"Exactly what I said," he says without looking at me. "I was worried I just got in the way, and Rarity confirmed it."

"No, she didn't. You _know_ she didn't. When did you become so paranoid?"

"Festival of Friendship. It was true for those six, and it's true for _these_ seven."

I grab his arm and stop him. "You are _not_ a burden to them! So you haven't used your magic to save the day yet. So what?! If they had a problem with you, they certainly would've said something earlier! And if you were _this_ worried, you should've brought it up with them, or at least _me!_ I mean, I tell you _everything_ I'm concerned about!"

He yanks his arm out of my grasp. "That's easy for _you_ to say. _You_ don't have magic." He resumes walking.

"You're right. I _don't_ have magic. I'm the _only_ one of my close friends who's a normal human. I mean, they _are_ normal humans, just with magic pendants, but you know what? I don't worry about them thinking I'm a liability. If I did, I'd speak up. If not to them, then to _you!"_

He sighs. "I just... I just want to go home and sleep. Pretend this whole day never happened."

With how hard he is on himself right now, sleeping it off is probably for the best.

I follow him to his car. Now I'm glad I didn't drive here myself. I don't want Flare to drive home alone. I'm not afraid he'll do something rash. I just think he'll feel a little better if I'm with him. Make him think he has _somebody_ who doesn't find him a burden. I _absolutely_ don't find him a burden. If anything, _I_ should be a burden to _him_ with my missing leg. That's something I was a little worried about when I first developed a crush on him. I had to push that thought aside. It was the fear talking.

As I get in the car, I receive a text. It's from Sunset.

[SS] "Is Flare okay? He sounded really mad"

I text my response.

[OF] "He'll be fine. He wants to sleep it off and I want to keep him company on his way back"

[OF] "If you're gonna talk to him, I'd wait until tomorrow"

Flare is silent the entire drive back.

* * *

*****The next morning*****

I leave my house, get in my car, and head over to Flare's house. I hope he isn't still upset.

I park in front of his house, get out, and walk to the door. Door's locked. I get my key to his house and unlock the door. Inside, Flare and Rarity are hugging.

"I take it you two made up?" I ask as I close the door.

They separate and look at me. "We have," Rarity says.

"You were right," Flare says. "The girls would've told me if I was a burden to them, and I should've said something about it sooner."

"And we would've let him help if we knew." She looks at Flare. "Next time you want to help, we'll try not to get in your way."

"And I'll talk to you girls if I'm worried about anything." He looks at me. "Or at least my girlfriend."

I smile. That's all I ask for. If he's worried, talk to me about it. "That reminds me..." I reach into my pocket and pull out his geode. "I believe this belongs to you."

"Oh, right. Thanks."

I walk over to him and put the necklace on him. "Good as new."

He smiles, but then his smile quickly fades. "Uh... Liv? You don't think I'm a burden to you, right?"

He _actually_ asked that? I cross my arms, tilt my head, and give him a 'Did you _seriously_ just ask me that?' look. Same look I gave him yesterday at the arcade. "What do _you_ think?"

"Just give me a straight answer."

I uncross my arms. "No, I don't think you're a burden to me."

"That's what I thought." He gives me a hug, which I return. "I wanted to hear it from you to put my mind at ease."

"After what you went through last night, I understand." We kiss.

"If you two are interested," Rarity says, "the other girls and I are going back to Equestria Land. Now that we don't have to worry about Equestrian magic getting in the way, we can have a full day of fun."

The me of 4 years ago would've never said something like this, but... "I'd rather not."

"You sure?" Flare asks.

"To be honest, the Equestrian magic stuff kinda dampened my excitement for amusement parks." I lean toward his ear. "And my fear of rollercoasters," I whisper.

"Okay, then. And I guess I'll stay with you."

"You don't _have_ to."

"I don't want you to spend the entire day by yourself."

"Don't worry about me. You go have fun at the park."

He grabs my hands. "Spending time with you is way more fun than going to a park without you."

I'm pretty sure he's just saying that, but it's no less touching. "I'm not _that_ fun," I say with a smile. I interlock my fingers with his.

"Of course you are! You're more fun than one of Pinkie's parties!"

"I thought you didn't like parties all that much."

"I _like_ them. I just don't _love_ them. I love _you_, though."

I chuckle. Sometimes he tries _too_ hard to be romantic. "Prove it."

He leans forward and I do the same. Our lips connect, and I feel his thumbs start rubbing the undersides of my wrists. "Mmm..." I don't know why, but this feels _incredible_. Combined with his quick kisses, it makes me feel weak in the knees, and I _love_ it!

"Aww~..."

Oh right! Rarity's still here! We quickly separate. "S-Sorry about that..."

"We, uh... We got a little caught up in the moment," Flare says.

"Oh, it's quite alright," she says. "It's nothing I haven't read countless times in romance novels." She starts walking to the door. "I'll leave you lovebirds to yourselves."

"Bye, Rare," Flare says.

"Have fun at the park," I say.

She opens the door and waves, then steps through, closing it behind her.

Flare looks at me and smiles. "So, was that enough proof for you?"

I return the smile. "I dunno... I might need a little more convincing."

We hold hands, lock lips, and he resumes rubbing my wrist. So good! I love him so much!

* * *

**A/N: After putting off finishing it for so long, I had intended to simply include a couple summaries in the spring break story. Then I decided I'd try to finish it, and might've rushed things a little too much. But at least it's finished?**


End file.
